In the Shadows
by xbittersweet
Summary: [AU DROPPED] Kagome is a slave. Inuyasha is a prince, he is kept captive in Naraku's castle. They hate each other, but they need each others' help to defeat Naraku. Where does love pop in from? In between all their troubles... [Full sum inside! IK MS]
1. Golden Eyes

**Author's Notes:** Hey! This is my first fanfiction, so go easy on me, kay?  
  
**Full summary:** Kagome is a slave. Inuyasha is a prince, but he is kept captive in Naraku's castle. They think they hate each other, and they need each others' help to defeat Naraku in the war. But like most stories, they fall in love...how is a slave supposed to marry a prince? [Inuyasha/Kagome] [Miroku/Sango]  
  
**Disclaimer:** I do not own Inuyasha or any of its characters!  
  
---=!=---  
  
**In the Shadows  
**  
_Chapter One:_ Golden Eyes  
  
**---=Kagome=---**  
  
Kagome sighed, "Another day working! Great fun!" she said sarcastically while throwing the ragged cloth on the ground.  
  
A girl about 17 with long brown hair loosely tied in a ponytail beside her threw her piece of cloth down too and said, "Why does he even want us to make everything look perfect!? He's so creepy, and it's not like he cares if the whole place is a mess!"  
  
"Probably just wants us to work our butts' off," replied Kagome.  
  
"He's such a pain! All he does is sit in his 'throne' ordering people to gather more slaves for him!" Sango said. She looked like she was straining to run to Naraku and kill him.  
  
"I know, Sango," Kagome said, looking into her best friend's eye, "but we're not strong enough to beat him! We're just humans, Sango! He's a hanyou...but I swear, Sango, once we get enough people we'll make him pay!"  
  
Sango smiled knowing that her best friend would always be by her side.  
  
"Yeah," Sango agreed.  
  
When Kagome saw Sango smile, she smiled too. Kagome was glad because it had been days since she had seen Sango smile.  
  
With that settled they both got back to work.  
  
'Wonder if there's going to be anything exciting happening today...but I highly doubt that,' thought both of them in unison.  
  
Little did they know that this was the day that would change their 'simple' life.

**---=Kagome=---**  
  
A little after lunch, Kagome and Sango started watering the flowers in the garden **(A/N: That's right! Naraku has a garden...=)...)** when they heard the front gate opening.  
  
The front gate never opened unless it was Naraku or if it was to buy food, but if it was to buy food, they would have bought way earlier, so that couldn't be it. If it was Naraku, he would go out at night, not morning! What was it then?  
  
Sango and Kagome looked at each other and nodded. They quickly ran to the front gate.  
  
When Kagome got there, she couldn't find Sango, but she was too busy watching what was in front of her to worry about it too much...  
  
In front of Kagome were a couple of Naraku's soldiers carrying something...something that looked like a human.  
  
But when Kagome looked closely, she gasped. It was a human, maybe even a hanyou. It was a hanyou about 17 years old; he had amazing silver hair and these very cute ears sticking out on the top his head.  
  
But that wasn't what amazed Kagome the most.  
  
His eyes. His _golden eyes_ were what caught her attention the most. They were beautiful. At that moment, Kagome knew she could get lost in those golden pools for hours, but suddenly, she saw something in his eyes.  
  
She saw irritation, anger, and confusion. His eyes betrayed his facial expression. His face stayed calm, but his eyes didn't. Kagome wondered if anyone else saw this.

She saw him scanning his surroundings, then his eyes landed on Kagome for a second, and he narrowed his eyes as if he was trying to remember something. Then he was carried away and into the castle...

**---=Inuyasha=---**  
  
'Everything happened so fast.'  
  
He remembered he was with his best buddy, Miroku. They were sneaking around Naraku's property, when suddenly something hard was knocked on his head.  
  
'Shit, I let my guard down for a second and this is what I get,' he thought before falling into unconsciousness.

**---=Inuyasha=---**  
  
When Inuyasha woke up, he was being carried through the gates.  
  
He was confused at first, but he remembered that he was knocked out. He was on a mission to Naraku's castle to find out what he was planning, but Inuyasha took it that Naraku had somehow found out and knocked him out.  
  
Inuyasha quickly scanned his surroundings. Everything seemed normal enough for him...flowers, trees, the gate, slaves, _more_ slaves _and more slaves_. 'Man, this Naraku is starting to creep me out....all he has here are slaves!' Inuyasha thought.  
  
He was about to stop looking around when he saw something that sparked his attention.  
  
There, staring at him stood a girl, about a year younger than him. She had long raven hair and she had dark chocolate eyes. She was..._pretty_. She looked like a slave, but before he could study her more, he was carried into the castle.

**-----=!=-----**

**A/N:** That was a little short chapter wasn't it? Not a really interesting chapter, but stick with me please, I promise the next one would be better!  
  
Naraku is going to be a little different. He's going to have a little humour problem, (believe me, you'll find out what that means!) but it won't be too serious or it'll ruin the character!  
  
Anywhooo, review please! Tell me what you think of this! I'll probably update tomorrow, depending if I get any reviews at all....;)! Cya,  
  
purity.starz---July 27, 04---Redone on August 6, 04


	2. The Journal and The Locket

**Author's Notes: **Bwahahaha! I got four reviews! I'm so happy! Thanks a lot for those who read and review! Especially to dragon-tears who was the first one to review =D!!

**Disclaimer: **I don't own Inuyasha or any of its characters!

**Previous Chapter**_: There, staring at him stood a girl, about a year younger than him. She had long raven hair and she had dark chocolate eyes. She was...__pretty__.__She looked like a slave, but before he could study her more, he was carried into the castle._

**In the Shadows**

_Chapter Two:_ The Journal and the Locket

**---=!=---**

When the boy was out of sight, Kagome left to find Sango. She looked around her first, but then decided that Sango probably went back to water the plants.

Kagome hurried across the gardens to find Sango.

She found Sango watering the plants, but when she saw Kagome, she grinned like a maniac.

"Did you see the guy with the silver hair!?" She exclaimed

"Yeah, his ears were so cute!" Kagome squealed

"Ummm, yeah...didn't notice that, but he's a hanyou!" Sango's face was filled with excitement.

"And?" asked Kagome.

"He might be able to beat Naraku!"

Kagome's face suddenly turned similar to Sango, except she started jumping up and down, squealing happily. Kagome ran to Sango and hugged her.

"Oh, and did you see the other boy in the purple robes with a staff? He had a mini ponytail at the back of his head. He looked like a houshi!" said Sango.

Sango was an experienced demon exterminator before she became a slave. Sango had been captured by Naraku when she was 14. He had killed her father and her younger brother the day before. She was so blinded when she heard that they had died, she tried taking him down right away, but she failed, and he captured her.

Sango knew way more than Kagome, because Kagome had been a slave her whole life.

..._a slave her whole life..._

Kagome was slowly drifting away in thought when what Sango said hit her.

Sango looked over at Kagome for a response when she saw Kagome's content face turn into a surprised face.

"Really? You saw a houshi? I only saw the boy with the silver hair!" Kagome exclaimed.

"Yeah, I'm positive. Maybe he got carried into the castle before you saw him," said Sango.

"Yeah...maybe..."

They started watering the plants again, but the silence was starting to get to Sango's nerves, but when she looked at Kagome, she saw that Kagome was deep in thought. So she decided to leave her be.

**---=!=---**

_Meanwhile in Kagome's mind..._

..._a slave her whole life..._

Those words still rung in her mind.

'I don't know anything about my past...'

'I wish I did, and if Kagome really is my real name...'

'I wonder what being a princess is like...'

She caught herself before she even wished she was a princess.

She had dreamed of being a princess so many times before, but she knew better than to get her hopes up high.

Because she knew that everything that you got in life had a price.

Being a princess would mean manners, fancy dresses, rules, and most of all, you'll most likely end up marrying someone you didn't like.

That was why she often convinced herself that being a slave was better. You work by cleaning, watering flowers, sweeping, doing all that stuff and you get food and a place to stay at.

Kagome decided to leave it at that and keep on watering the plants when her thoughts travelled to a certain hanyou...

'That golden eyed guy was so cute...'

'And that hair...it's amazing!'

'I have to stop thinking about him; I've just seen his face and this it what happens!'

'I wonder what he thought of me when he looked at me...'

'Ok! Stop thinking about him Kagome, and get back to work!'

With that settled she hummed to herself and concentrated on the rest of her work.

**---=!=---**

"So, what have we got here?"

Naraku's voice rung through the whole room.

Inuyasha and Miroku were standing in the middle of the room.

The guards would have made them kneel if Inuyasha didn't send them a threatening glare.

"Bastard," Inuyasha said.

"Kukukuku, don't use that against me, _Inuyasha_. You're the one who is being held captivity."

Inuyasha growled.

"That's pretty funny, the prince of the Inu Youkai Kingdom is in the hands of, I, Naraku."

Naraku started chuckling again. "Kukukuku"

Inuyasha growled louder.

"Well, let's see how you can handle the torture I'll be giving you," said Naraku with a serious face.

For a moment Miroku and Inuyasha had fear pass through their eyes, but it soon disappeared.

"Let's see then," Inuyasha said.

"What he said," said Miroku, pointing to Inuyasha.

Naraku stared at them and smiled.

The smile made both Inuyasha and Miroku mentally shiver.

"Both of you will be _slaves_!" Naraku stated proudly.

Inuyasha and Miroku eyes' widened in shock. They had expected more than _this_!

There was only one word to describe this guy.

He was _creepy_.

Before they could even utter a 'what', Naraku motioned the guards to carry them to get their new clothes and to get ready for tomorrow.

---=**Kagome**=---

_In the slave rooms..._

Kagome rolled around in her bed restless. She couldn't sleep. She had just finished dinner about an hour ago, and the earlier events didn't help her sleep at all.

She sighed, but she stopped half way through it.

'I could write in my journal; I haven't done that in a long time! Besides, it's only about seven o'clock. I can still get up early tomorrow since it isn't that late,' Kagome thought with excitement.

Kagome looked up from her pillow and looked around the room.

First she looked at Sango who was beside her. Sango was asleep. Although it didn't really matter if she was awake or not since Sango already knew that Kagome kept her life's events in a journal.

Then Kagome looked at the other slaves. They were sleeping peacefully. Good.

She got off her bed and pulled a journal out from under her mattress.

It was a beautifully made journal. The base colour was green and there was a gold lining around the edge. There were dried flowers stuck on the cover. There was also an ink pen that was attached to the book and there was a lock that kept other people from opening it.

Then Kagome took a locket from around her neck and looked at it. It was also very pretty. It was pink and there was a rose engraved in the middle of it. Kagome opened the locket and took out a gold key.

She looked at the book and the key.

---=**Flashback**=---

_A young girl about 11 with long raven hair was planting flowers when something caught her eye._

_She quickly dropped everything that she was doing and picked up the shiny object._

_She looked at it._

_It was a gold key!_

_She looked at where she had found the key and saw something green underneath some bushes. _

_She quickly picked up the object and examined it. It looked like some sort of a book._

_She gasped as she ran her fingers along the dried flowers that were stuck on the cover. She could only think of one word to describe the book._

_It was beautiful._

_Then she noticed the lock on it. She thought of how she could open it, when it suddenly came to her._

_The key she had found earlier!_

_She hurriedly stuck the key in the lock and turned it._

_The book opened to reveal plain paper, but there were two entries on the first page. It read:_

_I bought this book when I was out of this nasty, cruel castle. I don't think I will write that much in here...I don't have enough time too. Well so far, fate has been cruel to me. I escape from my arranged marriage and I get caught by Naraku only to become a slave._

_I'm going to sleep before I get ratted on._

_Anne._

_Kagome gasped,_ '_Anne is the old slave that died yesterday...How come this is here? _

_Kagome started reading the second entry._

_I am slowly dying from an old age. The next morning I am going to hide this journal. Whoever finds this, I hope you the best of your luck with Naraku. I wish I had a better life, but I don't really regret it much. This life didn't have good times nor bad times..._

_Anne._

_Kagome flipped through the book. There was nothing but plain pages._

_Her face showed sadness, but it was soon replaced by a smile._

'_Anne was really nice to everyone. I think if she went to the arranged marriage; she wouldn't be as happy as now, but I don't know...' Kagome thought._

_She thought of what she could do with the journal._

"_I know! I can write what I do each day in here, and since this is going to be important to me. I'm going to keep the key somewhere I know it'll be safe." She said to herself happily after awhile._

_Suddenly, she felt something cold around her neck. She looked at her neck and remembered that she had a locket with a rose carved into the middle of it. She had the locket since she could remember. It had meant a lot to her since it was probably from her parents._

"_That's where I'm going to keep it! The book is going to be...under my bed mattress!" She stated happily._

_With that she continued planted the flowers..._

---=**End of Flashback**=---

'Well, I should quickly write an entry before I go to sleep...I'm getting tired,' Kagome said, yawning.

With that said, she quickly took the ink pen from the cover and wrote down her day's events. She closed the journal and put it underneath the mattress. She fixed her bed blanket and slowly drifted off...

Though after she fell asleep, two men came into the room and fixed their selves' a bed, then, they too fell asleep soon after.

One of the men had one thought that ran through his head even though he was asleep.

'Maybe this is worth it since there are so many slave girls,' he thought with a grin pasted on his face.

_Pervert._

**---=!=---**

**A/N: **Pretty long chapter huh? 6 and a half pages. Sorry if it was boring, the next chapter will be when Inuyasha and Kagome meet. =D Fun fun! Please R&R! Thanx!

Also, the next chapter most probably will be out by Thursday!

Cya,

purity.starz —July 27, 04---Redone August 6, 04.


	3. Him

**Author's Notes:** Hehe, I'm back again! Sorry if these couple of chapters are going to be a little rushed. I have chapter 4 planned out too, but I promise once they start traveling it'll get way more interesting! Anyhow, thanks for the reviews, I appreciate it a lot!

**Disclaimer**: I do not own Inuyasha or any of the characters, though I do own the plot of this fanfic!

Previous Chapter: _Though after she fell asleep, two men came into the room and fixed their selves' a bed, then, they too fell asleep soon after.  
_

_One of the men had one thought that ran through his head even though he was asleep.  
  
'Maybe this is worth it since there are so many slave girls,' he thought with a grin pasted on his face.  
_  
**_Pervert._**

**In the Shadows**

_Chapter 3: _Him

**---=Kagome=---**

The next morning...

Kagome woke up to the sound of someone very familiar yelling. There was also a man's voice that she didn't recognize.

She opened one eye to find that the sky was still pretty dark. Not the time when she usually woke up and if you haven't already guessed. Kagome isn't a morning person and if she didn't get enough sleep, you'll be hearing her spaz all day long.

She groaned loudly. "_Sango_! What are you doing yelling so early in the morning!?"

Kagome wait for a reply. It never came except, "HENTAI!" and then a very loud bam and a slap. Kagome knew that wasn't aimed at her, so the only explanation would be that Sango hadn't heard her.

Kagome sighed, knowing she had to get up to see what the commotion was about. When she finally sat up, got her head off the pillow, and waiting a moment before her eyes were focusing, what she saw was nothing what she had expected.

In front of her was the silvered hair hanyou staring at her, Sango's face was red with fury staring at something on the ground, and when Kagome looked at what she was staring. She saw a young man about 18 on the ground unconscious with a red hand print on the face and a big bump on his head.

She knew Sango was strong, but she would never do anything to harm anyone without a reason.

So she asked, "Alright, Sango, what's going on?"

Sango suddenly spun around and looked at Kagome, noticing her for the first time.

"Oh...good morning Kagome?" Sango said and then she starting laughing nervously.

"Ok, if you tell me why," she pointed to the hanyou with the silver hair who was still staring at her and the unconscious guy on the ground, "I won't start spazzing," Kagome said.

"Well, the guy on the floor came up to my bed this morning and groped my behind. Other than that, I have absolutely no idea why they are here. Though I think it might be Naraku's orders."

Kagome gasped, "He groped you?!"

"Yea--"

Kagome heard Sango gasp.

"What?" asked Kagome while looking around trying to find out what made Sango gasp.

Sango pointed in front of Kagome. She followed the finger and saw the hanyou with the silver hair.

"What about him?" Kagome asked.

Sango replied, "H-He's the Inu Youkai P-P-Prince," she stuttered out.

The 'Inu-Youkai-Prince' looked surprised.

"_What_!?" Kagome all but yelled.

Suddenly, Kagome realized how loud they have been. She looked around the room. Surprisingly, no one other than them was awake. She let out a sigh of relief, but her attention soon traveled back to the hanyou.

But when she looked at him this time, the now conscious man from the ground stood beside him.

'Oh great, now what?' Kagome thought

The man that was on the ground wore purple clothes. He was the one who spoke first.

"Yes, he is the Inu Youkai prince, and his name is Inuyasha, but he's not that interesting to know about, now is he? I'm sure I'm more interesting! My name is Miroku and-"

The poor man never got to finish his sentence as 'Inuyasha' hit him and he fell back into unconscious yet again.

Inuyasha sighed and closed his eyes, "He never gives up, does he?"

Kagome and Sango stood staring at him. Then suddenly, as if he saw us staring, he opened his eyes and stared at us.

It was like a staring contest, except Kagome got tired and asked him what he was doing here.

He sighed and answered, "I was trying to find out what his evil plans were, I let my guard down for a second and his men knocked me unconscious. We were brought in the castle and he made us become his 'slaves'," Kagome watched as he rolled his eyes.

"But, that's pretty useless, because I'm a hanyou and I can break free of here whenever," he continued.

Kagome was about to ask another question when suddenly Miroku appeared beside her and took her hands into his and asked, "Will you bear my child?" with a strange glint in his eyes.

She stared at him and took his hands off of hers and smiled innocently.

"Why, as a matter of fact...NO!" With that, Kagome slap him across his face as hard as she could and glared at him.

Miroku sighed and said, "It was worth a try though."

Kagome looked at his face and saw a red handprint.

She smiled and said, "Don't you like his new face?" turning his face to Sango and Inuyasha.

Sango gave her thumbs up while Inuyasha gave her a weird look.

Kagome sighed, "I wanna go back to sleep, but since I'm awake, why don't the oh-so-mighty Inuyasha show us how to get out of this place, ne? Naraku went out last night; he probably won't be back until another week or so. Gives us time to get away, yay!"

Somewhere while Kagome said this, Miroku came back to life.

Inuyasha gave her an annoyed look and then said, "What do you mean we?"

"I mean Sango, you, Miroku, and I!" she replied

"Who said that we're going with you?" he snapped.

I looked at him with a deadly glint in my eye, "Says me because if you don't I'm going to tell Naraku that you're a prince!"

He gritted his teeth, showing me just how cute his fangs looks like, and said, "He already knows!"

"Then...I'll tell all the slaves that you're a prince!" she retorted.

"You wouldn't dare," he said.

"Yes I would!"

"Feh," was his reply.

"What's that supposed to mean?" I asked.

"Whatever, wench," he said.

Kagome felt her anger rise throughout her body.

"Look, my name-

Kagome was going to correct him when it struck her. He didn't know her name!

She was still irritated though, so she used a soft voice that had a deadly tone to it.

"Ok, Inuyasha, I'm Kagome, and my friend beside me is Sango..." Kagome turned to Sango, but found that she was in a battle with Miroku, who was trying to pretend he couldn't control his hands.

Kagome sighed, this was getting nowhere.

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

In the end, they finally got Inuyasha to go and try to 'break' out of the castle, but Sango and Kagome forgot about the barrier that surrounded the castle from letting anyone go outside.

Before Inuyasha could even touch the front gate, the barrier reacted and it threw him back.

Kagome and Sango gasped.

"Sorry, Inuyasha! I forgot that there was a barrier around the castle on the inside! Are you alright?" Kagome said.

Inuyasha just got up and threw them a look that said 'could-have-told-me-earlier!'

"Feh, it takes more than that to defeat me. Remember? I'm a hanyou, if it were a human, you would have gotten burnt! If I had Tetsusaiga here, I could break this barrier in no time!"

"What's Tetsusaiga?" asked, Sango.

"It's my sword," replied Inuyasha simply.

"Oh," both Kagome and Sango said in unison.

A moment of silence passed before Kagome suddenly had a mischief smile on her face.

Inuyasha noticed this and said, "What are you smiling about, wench?"

"I told you my name is Kagome, _Ka-Go-Me_!" She said still smiling that smile of hers.

"I asked you, what are you smiling about?"

"If you can't break the barrier that means you can't get out." Kagome answered.

"And?" asked Inuyasha, getting very impatient; it showed on his face.

"That means....you have to do _slave_ work!" said Kagome proudly with a huge smile on her face.

Both Inuyasha and Miroku gasped at that while Sango laughed.

'Oh, shit!' They both thought.

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

**A/N:** Bwhahaha! Like it? It took me two hours to write it! It's really short, but the conversations were long....throughout the fic, there's going to be long chapters and short ones, okay?

Is it really true that Inuyasha is ending in September? I don't want it to end, but at the same time I want to know the ending. Although it's not certain, Inuyasha may end on episode 167 and it's already 161!!!!

Dragon-tears – Thanx a lot for your reviews!! Yeah...it was a little weird that Kagome found the book and the key....if I think of a way to clear it up, I'll put up a little Q&A thing!

Cya! The next update will come soon....and when I reach exciting parts, I'll make a really long chapter!

**purity=starz----July 28, 04---Redone August 7, 04**


	4. The Plans

**Hey, i'm truly sorry! I had to upload this chapter twice because I left out the reply for my reviewers! Sorry if this annoys you...**

**A/N:** Hey, I'm so sorry! It's been nearly two weeks since the last update! So sorry! I've been kind of busy with my summer vacation!

I re-edited chapters 1, 2 and 3....there's nothing really important, though in chapter two, I added whose Kagome's journal used to belong to. So if you want it to make more sense, read it!! Well, only the flashback when she found the stuff.

Yeah! I can't believe I already have 15 reviews (anonymous and signed). Thank you reviewers and readers!!! My characters are a little OOC, but you can't do anything about it! Bwahahaha it's my story!! cough, cough I'm alright =).

If a 'Multi' shows up in my spacers, it means there will be a couple of point of views in there!

Again I'm sorry about the delay for this chapter! But to make up for it, here's a really long chapter (my longest yet)! Enjoy

**Disclaimer**: If I owned Inuyasha, do you think I would be writing **fan**fictions? I didn't think so ....Inuyasha belongs to Rumiko Takahashi. On yeah, I don't own the song called 'We All' either. Aphasia owns it.

**Previous Chapter: **

_"If you can't break the barrier that means you can't get out." Kagome answered.  
_

_"And?" asked Inuyasha, getting very impatient; it showed on his face.  
_

_"That means....you have to do slave work!" said Kagome proudly with a huge smile on her face.  
_

_Both Inuyasha and Miroku gasped at that while Sango laughed.  
_

_'Oh, shit!' They both thought._

_We All_

_We All are fighting so hard to make you see  
That we all want more than your superficial dreams  
We are most mysterious creatures to kill for what we believe  
We all want more  
So wrap your arms around me tight  
I know its hard for you to hear  
But failure is a just part of life - is harder than it seems  
Cause if we were meant to fly, why are wings so hard to come by  
So  
Close the door_

_We all want more  
Left behind, life is so unkind_

---By Aphasia

**In the Shadows**

**C**h**a**p**t**e**r** 4_:_ The Plans

**Full summary:** Kagome is a slave. Inuyasha is a prince, but he is kept captive in Naraku's castle. They think they hate each other, and they need each others' help to defeat Naraku in the war. But like most stories, they fall in love...how is a slave supposed to marry a prince? [Inuyasha/Kagome] [Miroku/Sango]

King Takahashi paced back and forth across the room. It had been four days since Inuyasha left. The journey to Naraku's castle took a day, and coming back took another day. Even if Inuyasha had some trouble along the way, he shouldn't be two days late!

It was all Sesshoumaru could do to not snap at his father. It was really annoying, and his mind kept saying, 'He should have sent me instead of Inuyasha!'

Queen Takahashi sat in her throne with a worried face. She was really worried about her son, Inuyasha, although he was grown up, he could act really immature sometimes, and it often got him in trouble.

"I'm going out to find him, I'll be back soon," said King Takahashi as he started walking out of the room.

Suddenly, smoke appeared in the centre of the room, and it spread across the room.

Queen Takahashi coughed and quickly covered her mouth with her hand. King Takahashi was by her side in a second and asked her if she was alright.

She nodded her head.

King Takahashi turned his attention to Naraku, and asked, "Why are you here Naraku?"

There are three kingdoms in Japan. The west and part of the south belonged to the Inu Youkai Kingdom, while the east and the other part of the south belonged to the Higurashi Kingdom. And the last part, the north, belonged to Naraku.

These kingdoms were not at peace, because Naraku is always trying to take over the Inu Youkai Kingdom and the Higurashi Kingdom, but he failed every time since the humans and youkai helped each other during the war.

As you can see, Naraku was not very welcome here.

The smoke cleared, and a man about 30 with long, wavy hair stood in the middle. He had this evil smile on, and answered, "Why, of course, I'm here to tell you where Inuyasha is."

Both King Takahashi and Queen Takahashi had a hard expression on, except for Sesshoumaru, who still is ever-so expressionless.

"I'm taking it that you had something to do with it?" asked King Takahashi looking at Naraku.

Naraku's evil smile was still on his face, "Why, I only caught him sneaking around my property, so I took him in my castle, and he is there doing slave work right now as a punishment, King Takahashi," he replied almost mockingly.

King Takahashi started opening his mouth to say something when Naraku cut him off.

"And, I'll let him go, if you give me Tetsusaiga, and if you don't...oh, I don't know what I might do to him," Naraku said, with no traces of a 'smile' that was on his face a couple seconds ago.

King Takahashi growled, while Queen Takahashi gasped. Sesshoumaru's face showed nothing, except that his eyes were boring into Naraku's head.

"Well, I guess I'll let you ponder that for a couple of days, then I will be back for you answer," Naraku said with a serious tone and face.

He left it at that with another blast of smoke.

Queen Takahashi held on to King Takahashi's arm. King Takahashi looked and her, and his eyes soften, knowing that she was tired, he said, "Izayoi, do you want to go and rest in your room?"

She nodded and gave a weak smile before King Takahashi motioned for a maid to help her back to her room.

After the queen left, King Takahashi looked at Sesshoumaru and sighed. Sesshoumaru's expression was back to normal now. After a moment, King Takahashi spoke,

"I refuse to give up Tetsusaiga or Inuyasha. Although I hate to do this, but it is the only choice that is left for me." He sighed again, "War. Oh and the wedding with Kikyou, I guess it'll have to be postponed. Sesshoumaru, send a message to the Higurashi saying that we're so sorry, but we have to postpone the wedding and of course, make it longer and nicer." He gave Sesshoumaru a small smile.

Sesshoumaru nodded and left the room.

----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

A woman in her early 40s sits in a chair in her room. The room is elegant; it looks like it belongs to someone who is royal.

The woman looks deep in thought.

-----------------------------------------------**Flashback**------------------------------------------

A younger looking version of the woman in the room is lying on a bed. She has just given birth to a baby girl who is in her arms. She weakly puts a locket with a rose in the middle around the baby's neck.

She looks at the baby and smiles. "That locket was from when I was little. What should I name--"

She never got to ask that question to the baby because she fell asleep with the baby in her arms.

Little did she know that day that, until the day she dies, she'll always regret falling asleep that moment because, that was the last time she has seen her baby girl...

_The next morning..._

The same woman woke up the next morning to find that her baby wasn't in her arms. She got up and walked out of the room although she was tired. She saw a maid in the hallway and asked her if she'd seen her baby girl.

The maid that she was sorry, but she didn't know where the baby was, and she said that she thought the baby was with her.

The woman's expression turned from worried to shock. The maid noticing this, was about to say something when the woman in front of her suddenly shouted, "Send men around the castle to find her!"

The maid nodded, curtsied and said, "Right away, Lady Higurashi."

_Days went on and still the baby wasn't found._

After that day, Lady Higurashi was always depressed, but one day everything changed.

Lady Higurashi was taking a walk around the garden when she saw a tree with a baby on one of its lower branches outside the gate. She quickly went over to the gate and ordered the guards there to open the gate for her. They quickly did as she asked.

She rushed out with her maids behind her and picked up the baby from the branch, thankfully the tree wasn't too tall.

Lady Higurashi looked at the baby. It did look like her baby, although it didn't have the locket and the eyes of the baby looked colder. She brought the baby back into the castle and pretended that it was her baby.

Lord Higurashi didn't want the baby, but his wife looked so happy with it, so he gave in and let her keep it. He told his messenger to spread the news across his kingdom, since it was happy news.

Lady Higurashi thanked her husband. She looked at the baby and thought of the name for it. She thought for a couple of minutes until one name came to her mind.

"Kikyou," she whispered.

Lord Higurashi looks at his wife, and she repeated, "Her name is Kikyou."

Lord Higurashi nods with a slight smile. Lady Higurashi looks into Lord Higurashi's eyes and they both smiled.

--------------------------------------------**End of Flashback**-------------------------------------------

Lady Higurashi sighed, still sitting in her chair as she remembered those days. She knew her husband never did really like Kikyou that much, because of the coldness in her eyes. She had always wished for her own daughter too, but she knew that was too much to ask for since she had already received Kikyou.

Suddenly Lady Higurashi looks up and sees a young woman about 17 with long straight hair, and a pale face with dark, azure eyes walk in the room with some tea.

She sets down the tray and picks up two cups and puts it on the table in front of Lady Higurashi. She then picks up the tea pot and fills the cups up. She offers one to Lady Higurashi, who gladly takes it and thanks her. Kikyou smiles--which she barely does; causing Lady Higurashi to smile slightly too.

Kikyou asks, "Thinking about the old days again?"

"Yes," answered Lady Higurashi, her smile never fading. . Sometimes she would think that telling Kikyou that the truth was the wrong choice, but then she would think; the truth is always best.

They sat in a comfortable silence, until someone knocked on the door, and said, "Urgent message from Lord Higurashi; orders Lady Higurashi in the throne room.

"Coming," said Lady Higurashi. She sends Kikyou an apologetic look and says, "I'll come find you in your room after this."

Kikyou stands up and simply nods as Lady Higurashi leaves the room.

Suddenly smoke appears around the room, similar to the one at the Inu Youkai's Castle. Kikyou sits back down.

She gestures her hand towards a chair beside her. There is laughing right after she does that, but as the smoke clears, Naraku is sitting on the chair.

Kikyou ignores the laughter and asks, "Why are you here?"

"There has been a change of plans; you are not going to marry Inuyasha, yet."

Kikyou glares at Naraku, "Why?"

Naraku answers simply, "Because, I have him in my castle right now."

Kikyou scrunches her face up, "But, he's so cute! Why did you change the plans? Are those plans better?"

"Yes, they are better than you getting married to Inuyasha and putting poison in their food, but that doesn't necessarily mean that you're never going to marry him. It's just a plan for now to get Tetsusaiga, and then you can marry him and kill them. And, if the Tetsusaiga plan fails, which I'm sure it will because of Takahashi's personality, we'll start a war. I'm sure we will win the war this time if the Takahashis think we're are not prepared, which we will be.

Naraku laughs again, but this time there was a slimy tone to it, that gave you goose bumps, even for Kikyou.

"Are you going to kill the Higurashi's family? Ugh, I hate Lady Higurashi, she's just using me as a replacement for her daughter," said Kikyou.

"No, at least not yet, once we kill the Takahashis, the humans will be weak and alone, it'll be easy to defeat them," Naraku states.

"I'm going to stay at a village, then after a couple of days I'm going back to the Takahashis' for their answer."

Smoke appears everywhere and Naraku disappears. When the smoke clears, we see Kikyou still sitting in her chair.

She sighs and she thinks, 'All my life I've been controlled by Naraku. He might think I know nothing of my past, but I've done some research on my own. I can guess that he killed my parents and took me because he sensed miko powers from me. He had taken the Higurashi's daughter because he thought she would be useful in the future to threaten the Higurashis'. Then he put me up on the tree for the Higurashi's family to take me in. He told me he had put a curse on me. If I fled from this castle, the curse would kill me right away. I'm stuck acting as if I really do want to help him, and I have to do all his dirty work. That bastard.'

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

"It's postponed!?" Lady Higurashi said, raising her voice slightly.

"Yes, apparently Inuyasha has been captured by Naraku and Naraku wants to trade with Tetsusaiga. The Inu Youkai Kingdom will sneak an attack on Naraku when he least expects it. They do not wish for anyone to know that Inuyasha has been captured, only that the wedding is postponed."

Lady Higurashi had a worried expression, and nodded, knowingly, "That's horrible," she said truly.

'Naraku has always been trouble,' thought Lady Higurashi, 'I just somehow think that he was the one behind my true daughter's disappearance.'

She sighed, "I'll go tell Kikyou the news."

Lord Higurashi nodded, and Lady Higurashi left the room.

------------------------------------------------**Kikyou**-------------------------------------------------

"Oh, that's horrible; poor Inuyasha!" Kikyou said, pretending to be surprised at the news.

Lady Higurashi and friend kept going on and on about the wedding plans and how Inuyasha must be doing.

"Why do you think he got caught, Kikyou?" Lady Higurashi's friend asked.

Kikyou mentally sighed, 'This was never going to end.'

"I think that he maybe..."

--------------------------------------------------**Multi**------------------------------------------------

Inuyasha sighed, and he threw down his mop. "What did I do to deserve this?" he said.

"Nothing, just because Naraku simply wanted you to become a slave," Kagome said.

He exhaled loudly.

Suddenly Kagome had an idea, "If I do your share of your work, you have do buy me something when we do escape."

Inuyasha smirked; his golden eyes were shining with an evil glint. He started to say something, but Kagome cut him off.

Kagome looked into his eyes, and saw the glint, but she didn't really care if he broke the promise. She actually felt sorry for him doing slave work. All her life, she had, had a thing to help people. She knew she was foolish, because she was usually the one who sacrificed something for others' happiness, but she was happy that she could make someone else happy.

She grinned; this was going to be fun torturing him.

"Pinkie promise?" said still grinning.

Inuyasha's eyes widened in surprise. When Kagome saw this, her grin turned bigger, almost to a smile.

"No," he said.

"Please?" She asked, giving him her best puppy look, though a slight grin was still on her face.

Inuyasha took one look at her, and got lost in her dark chocolate eyes. 'They were so pretty...wait, what the heck was he thinking?'

"Fine," he said, feeling his control back, and he lifted his pinkie finger up. Kagome did the same.

Their fingers touched, and they both felt a jolt go through their body. It was hard to explain the feeling; it was neither good nor bad. They shock their fingers and let go.

Inuyasha just stood leaning against the wall, while Kagome did his and her share of work. It didn't really matter; working was actually something Kagome loved. She loved getting lost because she was too busy doing something to worry about life. About reality.

She hated knowing the world. She hated knowing the truth out there. She envied most children because they knew nothing of the truth. She wanted her child's life back. The simple life, not the evilness in the world. Though she knew there was no truth. Lies wrap around the truth, selfishness wrap around the lies, secrets weave them together, keeping the truth hidden.

Inuyasha stood there watching as emotions went across Kagome's face. First he saw happiness, and then it faded into peacefulness, which soon turned into despair. He was about to ask what was wrong when Sango came.

When Kagome saw Sango, her expression quickly turned in a happy one. Too quick. That's when Inuyasha knew; knew that Kagome kept all her feelings inside her.

He saw Sango frown slightly when she saw her friend's expression turn from despair to happiness, but the frown soon disappeared. 'She probably knows that Kagome wants to be left alone.'

Sango came up to them and said, "Hey do you know where Miroku went? He's supposed to be cleaning the rooms with me."

"I haven't seen him since this morning, have you Inuyasha?" Kagome said.

"Nope," Inuyasha stated simply.

Sango sighs, "Guess, I have to go find--"

Suddenly, loud girly giggles erupted from around a corner. They all started running, and turned the corner just in time to see Miroku hold a young slave woman's hand and ask, "Will you bear my child?"

They all sweat-dropped. "Well, Sango, I guess you found--" Kagome started and spun around, just to find Sango run towards Miroku and slapped him across the face.

"You pervert! I knew something was up when you suddenly disappeared. Stop scaring the young slaves!"

"Sango dear, that hurt," said Miroku, pretending to be hurt while holding his red cheek.

Sango sighs, "Get to work Miroku."

Miroku salutes and says, "Yes, Mama!"

Sango sends him a threatening glare. "Don't call me that," said Sango.

Miroku glups, "Yes, Ma- er, I mean Sango dear."

She shoots him a glare.

"Sorry," Miroku said with a nervous laugh.

Sango sends him a withering glare and she walks away. Miroku starts to follow.

During the whole scene, Inuyasha and Kagome were watching from not too far away. They were whispering things like, 'they fight like, old married couples' or 'they're so funny to watch!'

What a fun day it was!

-----------------------------------------------**Kagome**----------------------------------------------

"Don't you just love it when Naraku is away?" asked Sando, gazing up into the start filled sky.

"Yeah," Kagome answered, gazing at the bright stars. She had always loved watching stars, no matter how much the stars looked the same. It was amazing.

It was night time and Naraku still wasn't back. Sango and Kagome usually spent their free nights without Naraku on stars and chattering. Naraku didn't have guards aroung the place because he thinks that humans are weak and that they would never be able to have the courage to wander around.

'How wrong you are, Naraku,' Kagome thought.

Kagome turned her attention back to the sky and started up a conversation with Sango.

-----------------------------------------------**Inuyasha**---------------------------------------------

Inuyasha was wandering around some gardens. 'I can't sleep,' he thought, sighing. 'I need to make my escape soon, I can't stay here. Also, those girls. I don't know if I should trust them, although something tells me I should and that they're not loyal to Naraku. I'll go with them now, but if I catch them doing something fishy, I won't hesitate to kill them.

Suddenly, he hears laughter. He looks up and sees Kagome and Sango on the porches.

Inuyasha can't help but feel guilty as it stabs him, 'They could be innocent though...'

Inuyasha walks up some stairs close to his left and starts towards Kagome and Sango when suddenly out of nowhere; Miroku pops out in front of Inuyasha.

"Inuyasha, where have you been? I was so worried when I woke up and I didn't see you! I thought they had taken my best buddy!" said Miroku teasingly.

Inuyasha just rolled his eyes.

Then Miroku said semi-seriously with an unfamiliar tone, "Really! What would happen to me if something bad happens to you and the King finds out!? It would be my fault!"

Inuyasha grinned, knowing the true meaning behind it. It meant, "Really! I would miss you if something bad happened to you!"

Miroku saw Inuyasha grin and knew Inuyasha understood what he meant. Miroku smiled slightly.

Inuyasha started walking towards the girls again with Miroku behind him.

---------------------------------------------------**Kagome**-----------------------------------------------------

Kagome turned her gaze from the sky to the voice she heard. The voice belonged to Miroku. What was he doing here so late? She hoped it wasn't something perverted.

But when her eyes adjusted to the dark, she saw Inuyasha walking towards her with Miroku behind him. She saw that the corners of Inuyasha's mouth were tugging slightly. 'God, he looks so cute with a grin. I wonder what he looks like when he smiles.'

She couldn't deny it; he was cute. Maybe even more than that, but when he opens his mouth, the thought of him being cute just flies out of her mind.

Kagome was dragged out of her thoughts by Inuyasha's voice saying, "Alright, let's settle this."

-----------------------------------------------------**Multi**----------------------------------------------------

"Huh?" Sango asked, confusion written on her face, "Settle what?"

"When and how we get out," Inuyasha said, "This will be the perfect time to escape since Naraku still isn't back."

"I agree with Inuyasha," said Miroku.

"Yeah, me too," both Kagome and Sango said in perfect unison. They burst into giggles after that. It wasn't really that funny, it was just that fact that they might be escaping made them nervous.

Inuyasha just gave them weird looks while Miroku smiled slightly.

Once they got their control back, Kagome exclaimed, "I think we should leave the night after tomorrow!"

Inuyasha's expression turned to annoyance and he said, "No wench, we're leaving tomorrow night!"

"We can't do that! We have to find out how to break the barrier first, but in order to do that we have to get into Naraku's library! None of us have any work near there," said Kagome in a clam tone although she was ready to rip off the poor hanyou's head. 'He never thinks about the other peoples' problems!' Kagome thought.

Inuyasha started to walk away and he said in an angry tone, "We are leaving tomorrow, and that is that!"

Kagome's anger flared higher. That arrogant bastard!

He was already ahead and walking down the stairs when Kagome ran after him with Miroku and Sango following not too far behind.

Kagome caught up to Inuyasha and they walked side by side around the barrier.

"We are leaving the night after tomorrow!" Kagome said with a soft, deadly tone which usually meant that she was trying to hold her anger.

'Whoa, scary!" Inuyasha said sarcastically while mentally rolling his eyes although he had to admit; the girl's tone was sort of freaking him out.

He didn't answer, he just kept walking. He was pointedly ignoring her.

Her anger flared up more and her face was a little red. She quickly walked pass Inuyasha and stop right in front of him. He abruptly stopped walking.

She poked him in the chest and said, still using that tone of hers, "You are going to do as I say."

Inuyasha had to admit it. The girl has some nerves to even touch him.

He was going to poke her back in the chest when he thought better of it. So he poked her in the collar bone instead. A little too hard though.

He said, "We aren't going--," he never got to finish because Kagome gasped as she lost her balance and started falling. Falling down on the barrier, she was going to get burnt because she wasn't a hanyou. 'Oh no, this is not happening!' she thought.

--------------------------------------------------**Sango**---------------------------------------------------

Miroku and Sango were following Kagome and Inuyasha when Sango stopped walking.

"Why don't we just decide when we leave, when we find out how to break the barrier?"

"Okay! That's a brilliant idea coming from a beautiful lady!" Miroku said, grinning.

Sango just sent him a quick death glare before she started fast-walking. She was too excited to worry about the pervert. Although if it were the daytime, they would have both seen the light blush on Sango's face.

They both rounded a corner just in time to see Kagome poke Inuyasha; Inuyasha who pokes Kagome back a little too hard causing her to lose her balance and start to fall backwards.

They hear Kagome gasp as she waves her arms around, trying to find something to hang on to.

Sango gasp and both Miroku and Sango run towards Kagome at the same time.

--------------------------------------------------**Kagome**-------------------------------------------------

'Oh no, this is not happening!' Kagome thought as she waved her arms around trying to find something to hang on to.

Suddenly, Kagome's hand hits the barrier and she feels a strong jolt go through her body.

Inuyasha _finally_ comes to his senses and he grabs Kagome's hand and pulls her back, just in time before she hits the ground.

Miroku and Sango stop right beside them, and were about to ask if she was all right, when a light crackle is heard.

Inuyasha holds Kagome in his right arm as everyone; Sango, Miroku, Inuyasha, and Kagome, watch as the barrier wavers and fades away into the darkness. Sango, Miroku, and Kagome all gasp, while Inuyasha's eyes were widened in shock.

Sango reaches out to touch the barrier to make sure what she saw was true. Her hands touch nothing but air. Sango whips around and exclaims to Kagome, "How did you do that?!"

Though the answer was obvious; just by the look on Kagome's face. Her eyes were filled with confusion and her mouth was agape.

"I-I d-don't know," Kagome stuttered out.

A long moment of silence came after that, and Kagome was the first to recover. She laughs nervously and says, "I guess we'll have to get out now, won't we?"

They all nod, as they start to regain their senses back. Sango was the next who spoke first, "Don't let anyone know about this, they're a couple slaves here who are loyal to Naraku.

Kagome nodded her head approvingly.

"Alright," both Inuyasha and Miroku said.

As they walk back to their slave rooms, they all have one question in mind, 'How did she do that?'

Except Kagome's was different, it was similar, 'How did I do that?' The question ran in her mind, repeating over and over, as she silently packed, but excitement about the escape soon took over.

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

**A/N: **When I say, 'porches' I mean the floors that stick out. You know the episode in sailor moon when they show her as a princess and she's on one of the 'porches' and Darien is on the bottom. (Whatever they're called!) Well, Sango and Kagome are on those 'porches' and Inuyasha is where Darien is.

Well, that was a long chapter! 13 pages! I was going to connect this with chapter 5, but then it would've been too long, and it would've left chapter 5 with like...4 pages. The next chapter is interesting and I think it'll be fun to write!

Kikyou plays a semi-evil character though it turns out way better in the end of this fic, so stick with me please!

**remix-69er and to all Inuyasha fans--- Inuyasha is ending on September 13th! It ends on episode 166 and 167, by the titles of "The bond between the two--Use the shikon shard." Sounds exciting huh? I almost cried when they said it was ending... I'm glad yet sad about it. Go to (add the slashes after http since won't let it show) !!!! http: inuyasha-info.virtue.nu !!!! for more info! Remove the spaces and exclaimation marks!**

Until the next time, cya!

purity=starz

Posted---August 11, 04


	5. Out

**Author's Notes: **Bwaaah! I'm back! Enjoy this chapter, and don't forget to review! Oh, and occasionally there will be some lyrics after the 'previous chapter' part. Only if the lyrics match the chapter though!

**Disclaimer: **I do not own Inuyasha or any of its characters!

**Previous Chapter: **

_Inuyasha holds Kagome in his right arm as everyone; Sango, Miroku, Inuyasha, and Kagome, watch as the barrier wavers and fades away into the darkness. Sango, Miroku, and Kagome all gasp, while Inuyasha's eyes were widened in shock._

_Sango reaches out to touch the barrier to make sure what she saw was true. Her hands touch nothing but air. Sango whips around and exclaims to Kagome, "How did you do that?!"_

_Though the answer was obvious just by the look on Kagome's face. Her eyes were filled with confusion and her mouth was agape._

_"I-I d-don't know," Kagome stuttered out._

_A long moment of silence came after that, and Kagome was the first to recover. She laughs nervously and says, "I guess we'll have to get out now, won't we?"_

_They all nod, as they start to regain their senses back. Sango was the next who spoke first, "Don't let anyone know about this, they're a couple slaves here who are loyal to Naraku._

_Kagome nodded her head approvingly._

_"Alright," both Inuyasha and Miroku said._

_As they walk back to their slave rooms, they all have one question in mind, 'How did she do that?'_

_Except Kagome's was different, it was similar, 'How did I do that?' The question ran in her mind, repeating over and over, as she silently packed, but excitement about the escape soon took over._

**In the Shadows**

**C**h**a**p**t**e**r** 5Out

Kagome packed two of her slave kimonos. She had three in all, but she left the really old and ragged kimono there.

She took the deep purple kimono that was for special occasions — not that there were much anyways. The other slave kimono was a dark brown kimono that she was already wearing. Nice colours, huh? Naraku's choice. She was disgusted with it, especially since she had seen it since she was little.

Kagome mentally rolled her eyes.

The kimonos weren't the nice kind. It was really cheap and the material was rough, but who was she to complain? What do you expect from Naraku?

Kagome sighed and thought, 'I wish I could own a really pretty kimono with all the sparkles and flowers on it...'

She continued packing. She put her deep purple kimono on a piece of cloth along with some undergarments. Then she remembered something. Her money! She quickly took it out of her only hiding place; which was underneath her bed mattress. She examined the greenish-yellow little bag that kept her money. Kagome had worked hard to trade for it, although it didn't even reach a silver. She tied it to her kimono.

Kagome draped a light blanket around her shoulders. She would have to use it as something to keep warm with. It was summer, but even in the nights it was still a little chilly.

Kagome picked up a long stick from her bed. She had taken it from outside before she came in. She put it in the pile of belongings and tied the piece of cloth around the stick tightly.

She picked it up. She made a face. It was a little too heavy. It wasn't that she couldn't hold it; it was just that it wasn't comfortable for travelling. 'Oh well,' she told her self, 'I need everything I have in here, so deal with it Kagome!'

'There,' she thought with a little smile, 'I'm done packing, say good-bye to this room for the last time!'

Kagome looked beside her. Sango was attaching the piece of cloth to the stick. Sango looked up and saw Kagome. They both smiled.

"Ready to go Sango?" whispered Kagome excitingly.

"Yup, can't wait to get out of here!" Sango whispered back.

"Same with me," Kagome said.

They both headed out the door. Inuyasha and Miroku had quickly packed what they needed and had left to grab some horses to ride on.

Kagome and Sango stepped outside and looked around. They didn't see any guards. 'Good,' they both thought.

---------------------------------------------**Inuyasha**------------------------------------------------

Inuyasha and Miroku rounded a corner with two horses and saw Kagome and Sanfo waiting patiently by the slave room door.

On the way back, they had picked up some bread, ham and cheese from the kitchen. Miroku had figured out that they would save more money for the trip that way. It was easy to take some food; the guards were all asleep. Thinking about the thought almost made Inuyasha snicker.

-------------------------------------------------**Multi**-------------------------------------------

They neared Kagome and Sango. Kagome was the first to notice them. Her eyes widened a bit and they hear her say, "Two horses?"

Inuyasha quickly puts a finger one his mouth and makes a shushing sound. He said whispering, "Yeah."

Kagome's anger was lit, but she didn't explode yet. She opened her mouth to say something when Inuyasha quickly adds.

"And before you even say something, I have two reasons why there are only two horses. One; the other horses were guarded by some guards that weren't asleep, and two; you don't know how to ride a horse, do you?" He said eyeing both Kagome and Sango at his last statement.

Kagome's cheeks were tinted with pink, 'How stupid could she have been?' She shook her head.

Sango's voice was heard, and it said, "I know how to..."

Inuyasha looked at Sango and simply said, "But, you don't want to two males riding the same horse now do you? It won't matter to you, but remember, you _are_ travelling with us. Wouldn't that just look weird now?" He smirked.

"Yeah, I guess so," Sango said.

Kagome sighed, giving up, "Okay, how are we going to sit then?"

"Well, one of you has to ride with Miroku and the other has to ride with me," Inuyasha answered.

Kagome was going to sit with Miroku, because no way was she sitting with Inuyasha. But when she thought of Miroku's hands, her mouth opened. 'No way!' She thought.

Inuyasha saw this and bit back a laugh, but Kagome heard. She sent him a glare.

Kagome's face suddenly brightened at an idea that came to her mind. She spun around quickly and gave Sango her best puppy eyes. Sango's eyes widened in realization. She wasn't going to fall for the eyes. No way was she sitting with that pervert.

"Can you please sit with Miroku?" Kagome pleaded.

No was the simple reply that was returned to Kagome, but that didn't stop her from retreating.

"Please?" Kagome's eyes shining.

Sango sighed, she couldn't stand the eyes! Besides, Kagome was always there when she needed her. "Fine, but only this once," Sango said.

Kagome's face brightened up immediately. "Thank you so much Sango! I owe you!" She quickly gave Sango a hug. She heard Sango mutter a 'your welcome' under the hug.

Kagome turned around and looked at Inuyasha.

"Why do these beautiful ladies here not want to sit with me?" Miroku's voice said.

A moment of silence washed by...everything seemed to freeze in time before Kagome and Sango turned their heads towards Miroku's direction. They gave him glares.

Miroku held up his hands defensively, and said, "I swear, if it's my hands, don't blame it on me! They have a mind of their own," Miroku said innocently.

Sango continued to glare at him, while Kagome said, "Sorry Miroku, but the 'mind' those hands have scare me," she stretched out the word 'mind'.

Miroku pretended to look hurt — which by the way, he failed miserably at it. "Do you really hate the mind my hands have?"

"Yes, yes I do," Kagome said simply.

Miroku clutched his heart and said, "There's only so much pain one heart can take."

Kagome turned around and said to Inuyasha, "Well, I guess I'll be riding with you! Though it's not much better than riding with Miroku..." Kagome trailed off and stuck out her tongue.

'She looks so cute doing that...' Inuyasha thought. He was so busy thinking about that; he didn't have enough time to think of a comeback. He only came up with a 'feh, let's just go'.

Kagome nodded. Kagome had to sit with her legs on one side because of the kimono she was wearing. Inuyasha helped her climb up first and after he made sure she didn't fall off, he climbed up too.

They waited for Sango and Miroku to get up.

-----------------------------------------------**Sango**----------------------------------------------

Sango got on the horse, and not soon after Miroku followed. She saw that he was holding a staff.

"Hey, where did your staff appear from?" She asked Miroku.

Miroku turned around and said, "Oh, I had it with me all along! I just kept it under my robes so that Naraku wouldn't see."

"Oh," Sango said, "I see."

Inuyasha signalled them to go when he saw that they were on the horse.

Sango wasn't scared of riding because she was used to it. When they reached the gate, she looked around her surroundings for the last time...until she noticed that Miroku's hands were close to her. A _little_ bit too close...

She decided to give him a warning first, so she said, "Oh, and don't you dare try anything Miroku." She glared holes at the back of Miroku's head.

Miroku's hands quickly retreated back to his side and he laughed nervously and said, "Of course I wouldn't!"

Sango rolled her eyes.

Miroku jumped off the horse when they neared the gate. Sango was confused at first, but then figured out what they were going to do.

------------------------------------------------**Multi**------------------------------------------------

When they were close enough to the gate, Inuyasha and Miroku jumped off the horses and ran to the two guards at the gate. They quickly knocked the guards out.

They got back on the horses and they rid a bit faster than before. When they crossed the gate, Kagome turned her head and look at Naraku's castle one last time. The image of the castle brought a shiver down Kagome's spine. 'I'm glad I'm leaving for good,' thought Kagome.

Inuyasha noticed her shiver and asked if she was cold. She said she wasn't.

'Well, I'm glad he cares," Kagome said, noting that he tried to cover up his concern, although he failed.

"Okay then, we're going to go at a faster pace, so hang on tight to me or else you'll fall off!" Inuyasha teased.

Kagome nodded and wrapped her arms around Inuyasha's waist. Her first thought was how good it felt.

Inuyasha's first thought was how soft and gentle her arms were.

Inuyasha turned his head behind and shouted to Miroku that they were going faster. Inuyasha's sharp hanyou senses saw that Miroku nodded.

Inuyasha kicked the horse's side lightly, and it went faster. Miroku and Sango were about a couple metres behind them.

First it was scary at such a fast speed, but then Kagome enjoyed it. She loved how the images flashed past her. Even though it was dark, Kagome could still make out the trees and the bushes. She unconsciously leaned on to Inuyasha's back. When she realized what she had done, she didn't want to pull back; so she didn't. She smiled in content.

What she didn't notice was that a small grin was on Inuyasha's face too.

-----------------------------------------------**Multi**---------------------------------------------

It was near dawn when they decided that they could sleep since they were at a safe distance from Naraku's castle. They stopped in an opening clearing in the forest. They made a fire in the middle; they wasted no time in sleeping. Soon Sango, Miroku and Inuyasha fell asleep against a tree.

Kagome peeked one eye open. Good. Everyone was asleep. Even though she trusted the people around her, the journal was something private to her. Something special. She didn't want too much people to know about it. She took her journal out from her bag and took the key out from her locket. She began writing her escape starting a new entry in her journal.

Inuyasha awoke to sounds of shuffling and pages flipping. He quickly opened his eyes and tried figuring out where the sounds were. He looked across from him and saw Kagome writing something in a book. He thought she was planning some kind of attack, but when he focused his eyes on what she was writing it was the opposite from what he thought. He only read a part of what she was writing because he soon found out that it was not his business to be reading it. What he read had said...

..._yay! I'm finally away from Naraku's evil clutches. God, it feels so good to be free! Being stuck there all your life sure sucks! I've haven't really been out of the evil castle...maybe only once..._

He had stopped there. 'So she's been a slave all her life, huh? That's strange...Naraku never takes babies as slaves...' If you were to look into Inuyasha's eyes, you would see sympathy even though he didn't want to show it.

He saw Kagome close her book and look around her. Luckily she looked the other way opposite from Inuyasha first, which gave him time to shut his eyes and pretend to be asleep. He slightly opened an eye after he heard a soft click, he wondered what it was. He watched Kagome as she put away her book in her bag. She fixed the blanket that she had with her securely around her.

She leaned back onto the tree and closed her eyes. Inuyasha watched her face with amusement until he heard steady breathing, meaning she had fallen asleep.

Soon, he too fell asleep watching Kagome's sleeping form...

---------------------------------------------**Kagome**--------------------------------------------

They woke up after a couple of hours of sleep. It wasn't a very long time, but it helped the sleepiness.

Inuyasha was his ignorant, inconsiderate self again. He woke up everyone by roughly shaking their shoulders.

Kagome sighed, while watching the trees zoom by the sun. Inuyasha had insisted on going at a faster pace so they could make it to the castle on time. "Are we there yet?" Kagome asked Inuyasha, she was very bored.

"Can you just shut up and wait, wench?" Inuyasha said, clearly annoyed. The question was more of a statement.

"Somebody's grumpy today," Kagome said simply.

"No I'm not. You are the one who is whining about this and about that," Inuyasha shot at her.

"Whatever, Inuyasha..." Kagome's voice faded away as we see Miroku and Sango riding.

They both sigh, and Sango asks, "They never give up do they?"

"Nope," was Miroku's answer.

They turn their attention from Inuyasha and Kagome to the road in front of them. They sigh again.

After a moment of silence, Sango spoke.

"Watch the hand, monk."

---------------------------------------------**Kagome**-------------------------------------------

It was about midday when they finally reached a village. They had eaten their food earlier, so they were going to buy more to eat at the village.

As they enter the village, they get off the horses. It was a semi-busy village. Normally, at this time of the day the streets were flooded with people. There were only a couple of people here and there in this village.

Kagome looked around the village with amusement in her eyes. The last time she had been in a village was when she was ten. That was six years ago...so long ago. It was her first and last time outside of the castle until now. That time she had to buy food for the kitchens.

They walk through the village. Soon they come to a stop as Inuyasha buys some food at a stand.

Something shiny catches Kagome's eyes. She focuses on what it is and realizes that it's a bracelet. She walks over to the stand dragging Sango along across from where the Inuyasha and Miroku are. They both look at the bracelets on the table.

Kagome picks up a bracelet that catches her eye. It was beautiful! It was a silver bracelet with some stars and hearts hanging from it! Kagome's eyes sparkled.

Meanwhile, Sango had a bracelet that caught her eye too. Sango normally wasn't interested in bracelets or necklaces, but this bracelet was amazing! It was a silver bracelet with coloured glass beads hanging from it!

Kagome and Sango ask the man who owns the stand how much their bracelets cost.

----------------------------------------------**Multi**---------------------------------------------

Inuyasha and Miroku had just finished buying food when they noticed that Kagome and Sango weren't with them. They looked around and saw that they were across them. They start walking towards them. Inuyasha and Miroku see Kagome and Sango ask the owner something and then they count the money they have in their bags. After a moment, they both have disappointed looks on their faces.

When Inuyasha and Miroku reach them, they put down the bracelets and they start talking to each other. Though Kagome and Sango didn't notice them.

"That sucks Sango! I don't have enough money for the bracelet! I need a silver..." Kagome was talking to Sango.

"Same here..." Sango sighs, "Oh well..."

Inuyasha and Miroku appear just then, and they ask them what bracelet they wanted.

Kagome and Sango point to theirs, but then Kagome asks, "Why?"

"Well, remember, you did my work at Naraku's castle? You said that I had to buy you something."

Inuyasha took some money out of his red haori and paid for the bracelet. He handed it to Kagome. Kagome held it in her hands.

Kagome eyes widened in shock and looked at Inuyasha. She said, "You still remember? I thought that you would forget it by now... How do you have that much money? Didn't Naraku take all the money from you?"

Inuyasha's expression was emotionless; he had learned to cover it long ago. Though sometimes his façade failed him.

"There's something called, 'putting most of your money in your shoe,'" Inuyasha answered, ignoring the first part of Kagome's question. He crossed his arms across his chest.

Kagome's face brightened, she squealed, jumped up and down and hugged Inuyasha to death.

"Thank you so much, Inuyasha!"

Inuyasha held back a smile when he noticed how happy Kagome was. A silver was nothing compared to the rest of his money.

Kagome took a step forward, and embraced Inuyasha.

Inuyasha was caught off guard when Kagome embraced him, and he almost fell backwards. His arms automatically held on to her since he was falling. Luckily, he balanced himself, and didn't fall.

He let go of her when he felt his face go hot. A light shade of pink was tinted across his face.

"Hehe. Whoops, sorry, Inuyasha," Kagome said, and she let go of him. She turned away to try to put on her new bracelet and she missed the light blush that was on the hanyou's face.

Kagome tried to put on the bracelet, but it was hard to hook it on. Her face showed concentration. Inuyasha watches this from the corner of his eye and thinks, 'She's so cute when she's like that...'

"Here, let me try."

Kagome looks up and curiously, gives the bracelet to Inuyasha. He wrapped it around her wrist and in a second he was done.

Kagome said a quiet thank you and turned to Miroku and Sango who were watching them. They had an evil smile on their faces. Kagome blushed, but she quickly smiled when she noticed that Sango had a bracelet on her hand too.

Kagome pulled Sango to a side and started to talk to her. Inuyasha and Miroku walked ahead.

"So, what happened between you and Miroku?" Kagome asked with a mischievous grin on her face. She noted the red blush that appeared on Sango's face.

"I accidentally hugged Miroku..." said Sango, her face turning a deep red.

Kagome laughed, "Just that? Come on Sango, you and I both know that you want something more from him." Kagome stuck out her tongue.

Sango blushed even more if that were even possible. Kagome saw this and said, "Alright, I'll leave you alone to your thoughts now!"

With that, Kagome ran to where Inuyasha and Miroku were, with Sango hot on her heels.

Boy was it going to be a long day.

**A/N:** Hey! I know that was a short chapter...but the one after the next one is going to be interesting! Ooooh, and the next chapter is called 'The Castle.' Yippie! The next chapter is more like a filler....it kinda explains what happens later on...

Thank you to all my reviewers! I plan on posting 2-3 chapters a month! And if I'm feeling good, I'll post a fourth one! It also depends on how much reviews I get ::hint hint:: Please tell me how you think of my chapters...it helps a lot!

Next time!

_**purity=starz**_

**Posted - August 16, 2004 2:48PM**

**Re-edited – September, 4, 2004**


	6. The Castle and the Shooting Star

**A/N: Ugh, sorry if this chapter is a little... crappy. I couldn't write it out... oh well. At least I got it out =). Yeah, I reached twenty reviews! Thanks a lot, people!! Psst, the chapters come out faster the more you review !**

**I noticed I have a couple of grammar mistakes on my other chapters like, "boring into his head." Lol, well, I'm re-edited those. I also re-edited the last chapter . Seems like I keep re-editing all my work. So annoying! If you find any more mistakes, please tell me! Thank you!**

**Oh yeah, I killed the dividers . I'm using only a couple dashes from now on! K, nevermind, ff cut THAT out too. Oh and they cut off the little arrows pointing up... now I can't make faces with it. DAMN IT!! What am I supposed to use NOW?**

**Well, enjoy the chapter I guess...**

**Disclaimer:** Read the disclaimer for chapter one... I only own the plot (though, that could be doubted too -)

**Previous Chapter**:

_"So, what happened between you and Miroku?" Kagome asked with a mischievous grin on her face. She noted the red blush that appeared on Sango's face._

_"I accidentally hugged Miroku..." said Sango, her face turning a deep red._

_Kagome laughed, "Just that? Come on Sango, you and I both know that you want something more from him." Kagome stuck out her tongue._

_Sango blushed even more if that were even possible. Kagome saw this and said, "Alright, I'll leave you alone to your thoughts now!"_

_With that, Kagome ran to where Inuyasha and Miroku were, with Sango hot on her heels._

_Boy was it going to be a long day._

**

* * *

**

**In the Shadows**

**C**h**a**p**t**e**r** 6 The Castle and the Shooting Star

* * *

"Remind me again why they are here with us?" Inuyasha asked with an annoyed tone while pointing to Kagome and Sango. 

"Because, we are going to help in the war that you said was going to be launched soon," Kagome said. She had an impatient expression on.

They were at the gates of the Inu Youkai's castle. The castle was _huge_! There had to be at least eighty rooms on the front. Add the sides and the back, and wonder how many rooms there would be in all.

Inuyasha ordered the guards to open the front gate for them to go in. The guards seemed suspicious at first, and didn't let them in. Inuyasha started to get annoyed, and he started yelling at the guard saying he'll fire him once he got in. The guard immediately let them in; no one had an attitude as bad as _the_ Inuyasha.

They passed the gates, and walked through the gardens, since you had to get passed it to get to enter the castle.

The gardens were beautiful; there were so many kinds of flowers! The colours were shining under the sun's heat. It looked like it was from the fairy tales the slaves often talked about back at Naraku's place.

Kagome shook her head and cleared the thoughts of Naraku out of her mind. 'It's all over now, I escaped!' Kagome thought.

Kagome looked beside her and saw Sango. Sango, like Kagome was looking around in amazement. Kagome smiled slightly. Kagome returned her attention to where she was going.

The doors in front of Kagome were _huge._ It had to be at least four times taller than Inuyasha and three times wider than Inuyasha. The doors were made of wood, and there were glass pieces here and there.

Kagome looked closer. The glass pieces were the flower pedals! There were some carved flowers on the sides of the door, and some of them were made of glass. There were also carved branches and leaves. The doors were _magnificent_!

Inuyasha and Miroku stopped walking and stopped at the doors, which Kagome and Sango followed.

Inuyasha opened the doors and revealed the castle to Kagome. They stepped inside, and both Sango and Kagome gasped.

If you thought that the outside was amazing then there would be absolutely no other words to describe the inside.

The hallways were just _grand._ The hallways had a couple of tables up and down it, with _fresh_ flowers in pots on them. The framed paintings on the walls were beautifully painted. Most of them were scenes of nature, while the others had humans and youkai together, smiling. Sunlight shone through the thick glass ceiling.

While Naraku's castle was elegant, there was always a slimy feeling to it when you looked at the walls or the flowers in the garden.

They continued down the halls, until Inuyasha turned left and entered another hallway, which was similar to the first hallway except that they were some doors on the sides.

This went on for a couple minutes as Kagome and Sango followed Inuyasha and Miroku. The turned left and rights, until they finally reached a huge door, similar to the one they entered through at the very beginning.

Inuyasha was about to open the door when the door opened, almost hitting Inuyasha.

Out stepped a tall youkai, with long silver hair, and golden eyes. Almost like Inuyasha except, the sides of his face had two purple streaks and his ears were pointy. He carried an amused expression.

Inuyasha was about to scowl at the person who almost hit him with the door when he saw who it was.

"Hi Father," Inuyasha said, with a surprised expression.

Miroku bowed slightly and said cheerfully, "Hello, King Takahashi!"

King Takahashi merely nodded, but anger was flashing through his eyes.

"Come in and explain to me why you were captured by Naraku," King Takahashi stated as he walked into the room.

Kagome and Sango looked at Inuyasha, wondering if they should go in too. Inuyasha saw this and nodded with a bored expression.

Inuyasha and Miroku went into the room with Kagome and Sango following.

They entered a room, which Kagome guessed as the Throne. Now, she had never been in a throne room before, but you had to be really dumb to not notice the two tall, magnificent, chairs at the back of the room.

King Takahashi sat on the first chair and looked at Inuyasha with a stern stare. "Now boy, tell me what happened," King Takahashi said, still looking at Inuyasha, though, deep in his eyes, there was a soft look.

Inuyasha sighed, and told him about how he got caught and how Naraku made him a slave, leaving out Kagome and Sango's part. When he got to the part about Kagome breaking the barrier, King Takahashi asked who she was.

Inuyasha just pointed to Kagome, who currently was behind him with her head held low.

She felt humble there, mostly everybody there was royal or was at a higher rank, and she was just a mere slave. But she was caught off guard when King Takahashi asked who 'Kagome' was, so she looked up.

King Takahashi almost gasped and his eyes widen a bit in surprise. There were two reasons.

Reason number one: She looked strikingly like Kikyou.

Reason number two: Her eyes held immense power.

Miroku looked and Kagome when he saw King Takahashi's eyes widen. There was nothing wrong with Kagome, and then realization dawned. "Oh! So _that's_ why she looked _so_ familiar; she looks exactly like _Kikyou_!"

Kagome looked confused, "Kikyou?" she asked.

"Yeah, she's betrothed to Inuyasha," Miroku said simply.

Inuyasha let out a groan, and said, "Don't even remind me about it!"

King Takahashi cleared his throat after he got over the shock and said while looking at Kagome, "So I assume you are staying here?"

"Yeah, we want to help with the war against Naraku. Sango too," Kagome said, her voice a bit shaky while pointing to Sango at her last two words. "That is, if you let us stay until the war. Can we, please? We can help out around the castle if anyone needs any help," Kagome said.

King Takahashi didn't say anything for a moment. It looked like he was considering it.

To tell you the truth, Kagome was nervous. Really nervous. Her shaky voice already proved it, and now King Takahashi might not let Sango and her stay. She had managed to escape from Naraku _and_ help Inuyasha escape. If Naraku ever found her, she and Sango would be dead

Finally, King Takahashi spoke. "Both of you can stay... I think we might need some help with the war too, and about helping out around here," King Takahashi paused and smiled, "Forget about it. You did help Inuyasha and Miroku escape."

Relief washed over Kagome as she looked at Sango. Sango caught her gaze and they both smiled brightly at King Takahashi.

"Thank you so much, King Takahashi!" Both Kagome and Sango said truthfully.

King Takahashi smiled warmly and said to one of the maids on the side of the room, "Take them to the guest rooms and give them each a room."

The maid obeyed and gestured Kagome and Sango to follow her as she went out of the room.

King Takahashi turned his attention to Inuyasha and Miroku and said, "They were both slaves of Naraku, right?"

Miroku nodded, and said, "But I think Kagome is a bit... different. Her aura just feels weird."

"I agree with you, Miroku," King Takahashi said.

Inuyasha just remained silent, still wearing a bored expression, but on the inside he was wondering why Kagome had a different aura.

King Takahashi snapped his fingers, "That's it! The girl, Kagome, she might be a miko since she broke a barrier that was supposedly powerful. Her miko powers must have reacted and awakened in order to protect her. But I don't think Kagome realizes that she is a miko."

Miroku's face brightened, "I think you're right, King Takahashi!"

"At any rate though, I don't think she has any evil intentions or her friend. There wasn't any evil in her eyes, just power," King Takahashi said.

A silence greeted them after that.

Inuyasha cleared his throat and said, "Father, can I go now?" clearly annoyed at having to be stuck there.

"Yes, son, you may go," King Takahashi said, "You too, Miroku."

Miroku nodded, and left the room following Inuyasha, leaving King Takahashi alone, to his thoughts.

'Why did Inuyasha bother with those girls? He never brings anyone to the castle... Don't take me wrong, the miko girl could change Inuyasha. Now why am I talking to myself?' The King pondered.

* * *

"Wow! Are we really going to be staying in here?" Kagome asked the older maid, clearly surprised that they were to sleep in such an elegant room.

"Yes, milady," the maid.

"Please don't call me that, please just call me Kagome," Kagome said.

The maid looked up and gave a small smile, "Thank you, mil—Kagome."

Kagome smiled at the maid who was a couple years older than her. She glanced around the room. The bed looked so fluffy, and the pink curtains around the bed made it look so cute!

Kagome looked out the glass doors. The view before her was amazing. The golden sun was just setting behind the hills and the rays of light were beaming through the sky. The day was getting late.

"Dinner will be served soon, Kagome. Would you like a bath?" The maid asked.

"That would be great!" Kagome exclaimed, thinking of a warm, relaxing bath.

"I'll get you some new kimonos, Kagome," the maid said.

"Thank you!"

Soon Kagome was bathing in a tub with scented water that smelled like blossoms. Thoughts were buzzing through her head.

'Hmmmm, it feels so good! I don't think I've ever been bathed like this,' Kagome thought. 'Sango is probably taking a bath too. We didn't really do anything to deserve this, I feel bad!' Kagome sighed.

When she got out of the pool, the maid—whose name is Anna, by the way—had a new kimono for her.

It was pretty! It was a dark blue with light yellow flowers on it. The piece of cloth that was to be tied around Kagome's waist matched the light yellow lilies on her kimono. If Kagome were to pick a kimono, that would've been her choice.

Kagome smiled brightly and said, "Thank you so much Anna; it's so pretty!"

"You are welcome, Kagome!" Anna gave a light smile and said, "You should get to dinner after you dress. King Takahashi likes it when everyone comes for dinner."

Kagome nodded as she changed behind a dresser. When she came out, Anna smiled and said she looked pretty.

Anna opened her hand and revealed a dark blue ribbon. "Turn around," Anna told Kagome which she did.

Anna tied a low ponytail with the silky ribbon leaving a couple strands of hair on the side of Kagome's head.

Kagome looked into a mirror and Anna smiled. The ribbon brought out the light blue in Kagome's hair.

"It looks so nice, Anna, thank you!" Kagome said.

They left the room, and saw Sango coming out of her room, which was beside Kagome's. She was dressed in a darker shade of green with pink blossoms on it and she had a pink ribbon in her hair.

Kagome and Sango smiled. "You look great!" They both said in unison.

They laughed at jokes **((A/N: Yes, including the Anna, and Sango's maid, who, by the way, were leading them to dinner.)) **as they travelled down the long hallway. When they finally reached the end of the hall, they met Inuyasha and Miroku, who were coming out of the royal hallway, which was across from theirs'.

Confusion found its way to Kagome's face as she watched Inuyasha. He had blushed then turned away. Kagome let it slide for a moment though, as the scene before her was much more interesting.

"I don't believe we've met before. My name is Miroku, and what may your pretty name be?" Miroku said holding on to the hands of Sango's maid. There was a familiar glint in his violet orbs.

Sango's eyebrow twitched and her face was a light shade of red.

"Mary," Sango's maid said quietly, obviously embarrassed.

"Oh, what a beautiful name! Would you do the honour of my bearing my child?" Miroku said.

The maid was stunned; a vein was popping out of Sango's forehead; that was when a slap was heard. Miroku cupped his red cheek, sighed and said, "It was worth a try."

Sango just rolled her eyes. Kagome turned her attention back to Inuyasha and as to why he was blushing before.

Suddenly, a woman pulled Inuyasha into an embrace and he returned it. Kagome's eyes twinkled amusingly, as to why Inuyasha returned the embrace. There was also a feeling Kagome couldn't identify, but she let it slide as the woman began speaking.

"Inuyasha! I was so worried when you didn't come home! I would have come earlier to see you, but I was sleeping and your father didn't wake me up. Are you alright? No boo-boos are anything?" The woman said all in one breath.

There was a tint of pink on Inuyasha's face as he said, "No mother, I am fine."

"Okay, good!" 'Mother' said.

"Ah! You are even more beautiful than the last time I saw you, Queen Takahashi!" Miroku said, after bowing lightly.

"Oh, and Miroku, as flattering as ever," Queen Takahashi said, smiling.

The other maids bowed, after the Queen's gaze was in their direction. The Queen's smile widened when her eyes locked contact with Kagome's.

Now Kagome could clearly see the woman's face. She had long, straight black hair, and light brown coloured eyes. Though Kagome guessed that she was older than thirty, she looked young.

"You must be Kagome! You are very beautiful!" The Queen said with enthusiasm, while still wearing her bright smile. Kagome blushed at the compliment.

'How did she know my name?' Kagome thought, surprised. When Kagome realized that everyone's attention was directed at her, she became nervous. "Err..." Kagome tried to say something, but it was really hard to think straight when she was in the centre of attention.

The Queen said, sensing her nervousness, "Oh, excuse me, I forgot to introduce myself. I am Inuyasha's mother, Queen Takahashi, though you may call me Izayoi."

Inuyasha's eyes widened at this. 'What?! She's letting someone she has just met; call her by her first name?' Inuyasha thought.

After, what the Queen said had gotten through Kagome and Sango's head, they bowed.

"No need for formalities," Queen Takahashi said, while leaning down to help Kagome and Sango up.

"I'm sorry, I didn't know..." Kagome said. 'So that explains why Inuyasha hugged her back!'

"That's alright, dear," Queen Takahashi said, then she looked beside Kagome and her eyes landed on Sango. "Oh, and you are Sango, am I correct?"

Sango looked surprised and was in the same state as what Kagome was in. Sango was less confused though, and she found her voice. "You are correct, Queen Takahashi."

"Oh, you can call me Izayoi too. As I have said before, no need for formalities," Izayoi smiled warmly.

Kagome and Sango grinned a bit.

"Well, let's get to dinner then!" Izayoi said.

As they walked down the hallways, the Queen, Kagome, and Sango, talked about anything they could think of. Inuyasha and Miroku were forgotten, as they followed the ladies to dinner.

**

* * *

**

**((A/N: I'm just going to go over the dinner settings, okay? The king is at the front of the table with the queen at the end. Rin is across from Sesshoumaru, which are the first seats beside the king. Kagome is beside Rin, with Inuyasha across from her. Miroku is beside Inuyasha, with Sango across him. Then the queen. There should be more people at the table, but I don't feel like writing it. Make sense? If not, oh well, your lost. =P!))**

Dinner was... different.

The King was sitting at the front of the table, while the Queen was sitting on the opposite side.

There was an inu youkai sitting there that looked like Inuyasha and the King. He had long ears, some streaks on each side of his face and a pair of cold, golden eyes. Turns out he is Inuyasha's half-brother and the King's son. His name is Sesshoumaru, or at least, that's what they called him.

There was a human woman sitting across from Sesshoumaru. Her name is Rin and she is a year older than me, but she doesn't really act her age. I can tell that she is very cheerful, and generous. She is married to Sesshoumaru, which is strange because Sesshoumaru doesn't seem very – err... loving.

Kagome stops her train of thoughts as a new dish is presented to them. She watches which fork Inuyasha uses, before following. Sango does the same.

If you think that Kagome isn't nervous, then you are wrong. First of all, she has never, ever ate at a royal dinner before. Therefore she does not know the dinner manners, or what utensils to use. Second of all, Kagome barely knew these people, and yet she was here eating dinner with them. She didn't think she deserved it.

Sango was doing no better, especially since the pervert was in front of her.

That was when Kagome noticed that the hanyou in front of her was glaring at her. What had she done wrong _this_ time to upset 'the-great-oh-mighty-prince?' Kagome just glared back. Who cares if he is the prince or not?

'Damn wench. First she convinces father to let her stay, then she comes out looking beautiful and all mighty with a brand new kimono, _now_ she glares back at me?' Inuyasha thought. He didn't care though. If she wanted to play games then he would challenge her right back.

He continued to glare.

He glared, she glared, he glared, and she glared. That went on until the King cleared his throat.

They both quickly jerked their heads towards the source of sound. The King didn't say anything, but instead, started a conversation with the other people at the table.

'That should keep them from glaring at each other,' the King thought. Unfortunately, that wasn't what the other two had in mind.

The glaring contest started again.

Kagome sighed as she walked out the doors to the porch. The night was beautiful, with the bright stars sprinkled across the night sky.

She sighed again and thought, 'What _was_ with Inuyasha? He always seems so moody, and always snaps.' Kagome's eyes twinkled with amusement. 'But, all the better and sometimes its fun when I argue with him. I can tell he's soft inside, but he tries to act tough. It's funny sometimes watching him.'

Kagome lets a smile appear on her face.

Suddenly, a shooting star travels across the night sky. A pair of dark chocolate brown eyes quickly follows the blazing star, and a whisper is heard.

"I wish I could have a full, enjoyable life with the one I truly love..."

But, unbeknownst to Kagome, the wish was granted even before she whispered it in to the night sky.

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**A/N: Phew! That was _really_ hard to write, but I'm so glad I got it out!**

**Mansee415: **Yay! You reviewed, =)! Yeah, Inuyasha is ending. The dubbed version is still out in America though. I think the anime ends before the manga... oh yeah! There are these only manga translations for Inuyasha and they have 37 volumes there? Yeah, around that... check it out if you want! (Add the h t t p and all that stuff along with the triple w's. Remove the spaces too!) **wot-club. org . uk/Inuyasha/ **(If ff cuts it off, email me or just review!)

**Next time!**

_**purity=starz (if removes ff the equal sign, its not my fault!)**_

**Posted - September 4, 2004, 6:15 PM.**

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**These are awesome Inuyasha fanfics I recommend: **

**A Wish upon a Star** – kealilah – Rated 'PG-13'

My favourite princess alternative universe!

**Broadway Baby **– del-kaidin – Rated 'R'

Really angst this one. It was actually the first real fanfiction that made me cry, but it was enjoyable.


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